Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-04-30

that Fielding would"
Miss WARMERS cheeks turned shade
palcr. Her dusky complexion had q
blush look.
"Are you getting a chilli" cried
Denton.
"Not at all. But don't see Harry
anywhere. 1t is strange he should stay
away so long"
Denton put up his hand to shade his
eyes and looked out over the water. The
sun was dazzling.
81 do not see him either, " he answered,
and continued to gaze.
''He is perfect swimmer" said the
girl, uneasly. "And he surely would
not go out too far"
"Can you stay here alonel" Denton
asked. quickly, 'or can you go in ashore
by the line9 I'll look for him"
'Ill go ashore she had begun to say,
when he had plunged out through big
wave, and could no longer hear her.
She turned and slowly made her way
back, clinging everto the sagging rope.
But she had not gone far, when some
thing checked her steps and caused her
so turn sharply and face seward.
A wild cutlery for an instant made her
heart stand still! A bitter cry, and sud
den hoarse shouts. Then the beach
blackcncd with men and women by thou
sands other than the bathers.
"A1an drowningw That was all. That
was the awful cry.
Elma Warmer standing statue like, with
eyes straining to know the worst, could
not even feel the water that Tapped her
feet She was incapable of feeling any
thing; cold as ice; frozen from head to
foot. For now she knew-half intui-
lively, half by circumstanccs-that
Harry Fielding was out there beyond
reach of the boldest and going down to
his death
She could not stir. She could only
stand there feeling frozen.
The shouts of Outcries constantly in
creased, until the hubbub was madden
ing, it seemed to her. And still she
stood there with capability for just one
agonized idea;
"If l could only swim.'
Harry Fielding, her lately avowed
lover, the man VINO had weaned her heart
from Edwin Denton. Harry out there,
battling, struggling, dying!
She fancied she saw his arms flung up
for the last time; then hush Why
should they cheer3 What was that2
Who was that out there2 Could she see
the CLEAN of orange and palcr blue than
salty waters2 Why should they checr2
Was it because another risked his life to
save her lover's2 Was it because Ned
Denton had not waited, had not hesitated,
had gone out there to save the man who
had robbed him of her love? Hush!
Another cheer Was she dead herself?
On either side of her some one had
caught her arms and was dragging her
up the beach. 1t seemed to her that she
must shrek aloud. Yet she was dumb,
and growing deaf and blind, she thought
Only her mother caught her in her arms
"Mothcr," she cried in voice that
grated with its own agony; "Mother will
they both be lost!"
And now another maddening cheer
The life savers going out, and strong
ropes gradually uncoiing.
Cod" prayed Elma Warmer on her
knees there at her mothers side; "God,
if only their strength may last"
Would the life-sa never reach theml
Every second was Undesirable torture,
Yet the men had responded promptly. 1t
had been hardly minutes since the first
alarm
Mother, can you-can you see the blue
and Yellow Oh, God, save him for his
bravery"
Then she shut her ears with her fin
gers: the men were drawing in the ropes;
the rhythmic, awful chant of the voices
measuring the length of pull, and telling
when to ease and let out with the ebb of
wave.
They were pulling in-what, whom?
Would the savers bring one rescued man,
one drowned, two drowned, two rescued
or none at all, or not even a cold form
with the soul battered out2 Who could
saya
She held her fingers in her cars. The
chant of the toiling men would have
crazcd her.
clamor the savers staggered ashore at last,
and laid two forms upon the sand.
Life was in both as yet. But Harry
Fielding needed much rolling and skiful
manipulating to bring him around. Den
ton, on the other hand. revived speedily
and tried to stand alone upon his feet.
His face was as CHASTITY as the others, and
Nad the same blue circles around the
. outh and eyes.
Il am all right" he murmured fcebly,
then his half-open eyes fell upon Elma
Warmer. She had turned from Field
ing's side.
"You saved him." she cried, with an
hysterical sob. Perhaps her voice grated
again as little while before.
The throng took up her words with a
mighty cheer. Fielding had been carried
to his hotel, but the rescuer was yet among
them.
"Give me your hand" one man cried,
and then another, and "God bless you'll"
and the women sobbed aloud.
Elma Warmer sank dizzily into her
mothers embrace, and heard rather than
saw Ned Denton borne home upon mems
shoulders-a hero.
x * 4
OF the three, Miss Warmer perhaps
felt the shock longer than the two who
had been so near their deaths that morn
ing. For several days she remained al
most wholly in her chamber Fielding
and Denton went about as if nothing had
happened. Fielding, who was quite
wealthy, showed the other some extra
little attentions, it may be- but neither of
them alluded in any way to the late al
most tragic occurrence.
EIma Warrinpr on fhe other hand